Grassley threatens Trump EPA nominees over biofuels mandate

A Republican senator said Tuesday he may seek to block President Donald Trump's nominees for key posts at the Environmental Protection Agency unless the administration backs off a proposed reduction in the volume of biofuels blended into gasoline and diesel. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said he plans to speak with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt about the Renewable Fuel Standard.

2 Democrats top fundraising for US House challengers in Indiana

Two Democrats seeking to challenge first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Trey Hollingsworth for his southern Indiana seat have each raised more than $200,000 in the first three months of their candidacies. Federal campaign finance reports filed by attorneys Dan Canon of New Albany and Liz Watson of Bloomington showed they've been the most successful fundraisers among potential challengers for Indiana's U.S. House seats in the 2018 elections.

She says three blond aliens took her aboard their ship when she was…

Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera is one of five Republicans running to replace Ileana Ros-Lehtinen when she retires at the end of next year She says three blond aliens took her aboard their ship when she was 7. Now she's running for U.S. Congress MIAMI - A Florida candidate for Congress said Monday she stands by her claims she was abducted to an alien spaceship at age 7 but that the incident shouldn't detract from what she's done here on Earth since then. Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera has claimed in past Spanish TV network appearances, most recently in 2011, that she was taken aboard a ship with three blonde creatures that resembled Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue.

Republican Senator Paul threatens ‘no’ vote on budget plan

Republican Senator Rand Paul on Tuesday threatened to vote 'no' on a budget resolution Republican leaders aim to bring up for a vote this week unless they decide to stick with spending caps, potentially putting the party's tax cut plans at risk. "I have told the White House and leaders that if they simply stick to their own caps, the rest of the budget is fine and I'll vote yes," Paul wrote on Twitter.

Trump’s drug czar nominee withdraws in opioid flap

Marino's role helping the opioid industry, highlighted in recent exposA , led him to withdraw as president's nominee as drug czar. Trump's drug czar nominee withdraws after his role backing opioid industry exposed Marino's role helping the opioid industry, highlighted in recent exposA , led him to withdraw as president's nominee as drug czar.

Trump: Drug czar nominee pulls his name from consideration

Rep. Tom Marino, President Donald Trump's nominee to be the nation's drug czar, is withdrawing from consideration following reports that he played a key role in weakening the federal government's authority to stop companies from distributing opioids. Marino "has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar," Trump tweeted Tuesday.

U.S. indicts two Chinese in major fentanyl trafficking case

The U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday it has indicted two major Chinese drug traffickers on charges of making and selling highly addictive fentanyl to Americans over the internet. Xiaobing Yan, 40, and Jian Zhang, 38, were charged with conspiring to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues into the United States, the Justice Department said.

Bannon boosts Flake challenger, snubs Trump plea to back off

In this Aug. 30, 2016, file photo, former state Sen. Kelli Ward concedes to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during her primary election night party in Scottsdale, Ariz. President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon is boosting multiple challengers to GOP incumbents and the party's preferred candidates in next year's midterm elections /The Arizona Republic via AP) less FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2016, file photo, former state Sen. Kelli Ward concedes to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during her primary election night party in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Trump declines to express confidence in drug czar nominee in wake of Post/’60 Minutes’ probe

"President Trump said Monday he will declare a national emergency next week to address the opioid epidemic and declined to express confidence in Rep. Tom Marino , his nominee for drug czar, in the wake of revelations that the lawmaker helped steer legislation making it harder to act against giant drug companies. Trump's remarks came amid widespread reaction across the political spectrum to a Washington Post/'60 Minutes' investigation that Marino helped guide legislation that sailed through Congress last year with virtually no opposition.

Firm behind Trump dossier declines to respond to House panel’s subpoena

"The U.S. political research firm that commissioned a dossier on Donald Trump while he was running for president said on Monday it would not comply with subpoenas issued by the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Lawyers for Fusion GPS, which hired former British spy Christopher Steele to produce the Trump research, told the committee's Republican chairman, U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, in a letter that the subpoenas were flawed and that nothing in the subpoenas indicated the intelligence committee had authorized him to issue them.

Trump Says He’ll Re-Examine His Choice for Drug Czar: ‘This …

President Trump, speaking at an impromptu news conference on Monday, said he plans to have "a major announcement, probably next week," on the nation's opioid drug crisis. The president also said he'll take another look at the man he's nominated to be his drug czar, now that questions have surfaced about the nominee's support for the makers and distributors of prescription pain pills.

John McCain condemns ‘half-baked, spurious nationalism’ in speech

U.S. Sen. John McCain jabbed Monday night at unnamed pushers of isolationist politics, saying at his National Constitution Center Liberty Medal ceremony in Philadelphia that abandoning America's role as an international leader is "unpatriotic." The six-term Republican senator from Arizona made the remarks after receiving the award for a lifetime of service and sacrifice to the country.

Self-driving cars could ease traffic, but increase sprawl

A new study inspired by Boston's early experiments with self-driving cars find... The Supreme Court is intervening in a digital age privacy dispute between the Trump administration and Microsoft over emails stored abroad. The Supreme Court is intervening in a digital age privacy dispute between the Trump administration and Microsoft over emails stored abroad.

Bannon-backed PAC backs Wisconsin, Arizona Senate candidates

The Supreme Court is intervening in a digital age privacy dispute between the Trump administration and Microsoft over emails stored abroad. The Supreme Court is intervening in a digital age privacy dispute between the Trump administration and Microsoft over emails stored abroad.